Rungless ladder



July 18, 1933. SEER 1,918,293

RUNGLE S S LADDER Filed March 2, 1931 INVENTOR EoL'kS G ATTORNEYPatented July 18, 1933 warren s'ra'rss ER-NESJT L. SEILER, OF STOCKTON,CALIFORNIA raises RUNGLESS LADDER Application filed March 2, 1931.

This invention relates to ladders, and particularly to one adapted to besupported by a wall and such as may be used in connection with wallpainting or other operations, window washing, or for use in connectionwith any other vertical surface of an equivalent nature.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a ladder structure soarranged that 0 the user or occupant'is disposed between the ladder andthe wall, thus placing him entirely in the clear of any obstructions orparts of the ladder which in the ordinary form interfere considerablywith convenient and eifec tive operation.

A further but equally important object is to provide verticallyadjustable supports for the feet of the user, so arranged that he maystand naturally and with greater comfort than is possible with theordinary rungs, and which are so mounted that he may move up or down anydesired degree by a simple foot movement without dismounting from theladder or using his hands.

The user may, therefore, vary his position or level on the ladder byinches or feet at a time, as may be desired, and he is not limited to anexact change of level as is the case with the ordinary rung type ofladder.

A pair of my improved ladders may also be used to support a scaffoldboard which is then disposed between the ladder and the wall, and whichcan be vertically adjusted within any desired close limits, the same asthe foot supports of the individual user.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly eflective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the ladder as in position for operationin connection with a wall.

Fig. 2 is-an enlarged fragmentary side view Serial N0. 519,305.

of an adjustable foot supporting element of the ladder. I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a ladder used forscaffold purposes.

g. 4 is a fragmentary side View of the 5 lower end of the ladder showingan auxiliary ground engaging support.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawing, the ladder comprises a pair of parallel standards 1, preferablyof circular section and hollow, so as not to be unduly heavy. Thesestandards may be made in various lengths, depending upon the lengthdesired for the ladder as a whole. are removably screwed into sockets 2,secured to and suitably spaced apart on a fiat base support 3. Thespacing of the standards is about equal to the normal spacing of thefeet of a man when standing in a natural position, 1 or between nine andtwelve inches.

Stems 4 are adjustably slidable in the up per ends of the standards,which stems are rigidly connected to and support a horizontal bar 5.This bar at its ends is formed with horizontal and diverging arms 6, theouter ends of which carry pads 7 adapted for engagement with the wall 8,which is to be worked on. The length of the arms is such that thestandards when set parallel to the wall, are disposed a sufficientdistance away from the wall to enable the user to be between thestandards and the wall and still have ample roomv for the convenientperforming of operations on the wall. The adjustable positioning of thewall engaging arm unit enables the same to avoid contact with windowsills or other projections when being set up.

The foot supporting means for the user ofthe ladder is arranged asfollows:

Independently slidable on the separate standards are sleeves 9, fromeach of which a pair of spaced cars 10 project laterally, the sleevehaving a longitudinal slot 11 between the ears. Projecting from betweenthe ears of each sleeve is a normally horizontal arm 12 set on edge andpivotally supported from the ears by a pin 13. The inner" end of the armprojects through the slot ll and is of circular form but eccentricrelative to the At the lower ends the standards pin, so as to form a cam14. The setting of this cam relative to the pin is such that when thearm is horizontal and a downward pressure is exerted on the same, thecam bears tightly against the standard and prevents further downwardmovement of the arm, while also causing the sleeve to be tightly clampedagainst the standard. Upward turning of the arm on its pin, however,clears the cam from the standard and releases the sleeve so that it isthen free to slide.

Fixed on each arm is a foot support preferably comprising a heelengaging element 15 and a sole engaging plate 16. The latter plate hasan adjustable strap 17 or the like to engage the shoe of the useradjacent the toe so as to hold the shoe closely associated with thesupport. In operation the user places his feet on the supports andstraps his shoes in position, then standing between the standards andthe wall and facing the latter. This places his weight inwardly of thestandards so that there is no tendency for the same to move outwardly aswill be evident, and there is also nothing between the user and the wallto interfere with his operations.

lVhen wishing to climb up it is only necessary for the user to supporthis weight on one foot, tilt the other arm 12 upwardly by raising thecorresponding foot at the toe, and then raising the arm and its sleeveas a unit by raising the leg until the support assumes the desired newposition. The weight is then taken by the raised support and the otherone is similarly manipulated to bring it to the new level. A chain C orthe like connects the two sleeves so as to limit their relativemovement, and prevents one being raised or lowered to such an extentthat the foot on the other support is cramped and cannot be properlymanipulated to control the movement of said other support.

In descending the same operations are carried out, but each support asreleased from clamping engagement with the standard is of course loweredinstead of being raised.

Due to the use of the flat foot supporting elements and to the fact thatthe supporting units maybe turned laterally on the standards toaccommodate themselves to the natu ral position of the feet of the user,fatigue and discomfort to the feet are minimized.

This is because, as previously stated, the user When the structure is tobe used for scaffold purposes, the separate feet supports are replacedby a double support comprlsing sleeves 9a and arms 12a, which convergeto extend along side each other at their outer ends, so as to form aunitary support for the scaffold plank 18, which is secured thereto inany suitable manner.

It is of course to be understood that in this connection a. pair ofladder units are used,

suitably spaced apart along the wall proportionate to the length of theboard being supported and so that said board will have two points ofsupport. The raising or lowering of the board is effected by ropes,there being two such ropes for each ladder unit. One of the ropes 19 isconnected to the sleeves 9a and extends upwardly and over a directionchanging pulley 20, mounted in connection with the standards at theirupper ends, and then downwardly to a. point where it may be manipulatedfrom the ground.

. The other rope 21 is connected to the board itself and also extendsthence over a direc-,

tion changing the pulley ground.

A pull on the rope 21 tilts the board up so pulley 22, mounted adjacent20, and then passes toward the that the clamping engagement of the cam"with the standards is released, and a pulling or slacking of the rope 19then raises or lowers the board and the supporting members as a unit.

t may sometimes be necessary to rest the base 3 on a surface whichslopes transversely and away from the wall, or it may bedesired to setthe standards at a slope toward the wall. In such cases I may preventpossible outward slipping of the base by providing an addltional groundengaging element, such element comprising a downwardly curved arm 23,one for each standard, and having a sleeve 24 011 its upper endadjustably slidable on the standard and adapted to be clamped in anyposition. The outer end of this arm carries a foot 25 to engage theground, the arm being positioned so that this foot is dlsposed betweenthe standard and the wall.

Also, if desired, the fiat engagement of the base with a sloping surfacemay be maintamed by means of a block 26 of wood or the like, seated inthe base and cuton its lower face with a bevel corresponding to therelatlve slope of the surface on which it rests. rom the foregoingdescription it will be readily seen that I have produced such a deviceas substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forthherein.

lVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rungless ladder comprising a. vertical standard unit to besupported by the ground, means mounted on the upper end of the unit andprojecting horizontally from said unit toward and adapted to engage awall and of a length to hold the upper end of the unit outwardly of thewall a distance greater than the thickness of a human being,transversely spaced foot supporting devices adjustably and separatelymounted on the unit, and foot engaging means on said devices arranged sothat the feet of the occupant will point away from the standard unit ortoward the wall, whereby said occupant will be disposed in facingrelation to the wall between the standard unit and wall.

2. A structure as in claim 1, with a flexible member connecting the footsupporting devices and arranged to limit the vertical movementtherebetween.

3. A rungless ladder comprising a vertical standard unit to be supportedby the ground,

a wall engaging device mounted on the unit to hold the same from tiltingmovement 1n the direction of a wall, said device comprising horizontalarms to project from the unit to the wall, the length and spacing ofsaid arms being greater than the thickness and width respectively of ahuman being, and means to engage the feet of an occupant adjustablymounted on the standard unit, and projecting from said unit in the samedirection as the arms.

4. A rungless ladder comprising a vertical standard unit supported bythe ground, means for holding the unit in spaced relation to a wall adistance greater than the thickness of a human being and so that theunit is prevented from tilting toward the wall, occupant supportingmeans disposed intermediate the wall and standard unit whereby theoccupant will be disposed in a corresponding position in facing relationto the wall, and means mounting said supporting means on the standardunit for vertical adjustment.

ERNEST L. SEILER.

